Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, of what land and in what locations adjacent to the High Speed 2 route, HS2 Ltd has facilitated the acquisition; and from which third parties.

Mr Robert Goodwill: HS2 Ltd has facilitated the Secretary of State’s acquisition of owner-occupied properties under the Exceptional Hardship and Express Purchase schemes and under the Compensation Code. In addition the following property has been acquired with HS2 Ltd’s facilitation: - Netley, Stanhope St /William Road, Euston NW1 3LR, acquired from the London Borough of Camden, acquisition completed on 15 August 2014; and - Metropolitan Police Garages, 1-39 Drummond Crescent, Euston, NW1 1JX acquired from the Metropolitan Police Authority; acquisition completed 17 December 2014.

Radioactive Materials: Shipping

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what reports he has received on the incident involving the nuclear materials transport ship Parida that ran into difficulties between Scrabster and Antwerp in early October 2014.

Mr John Hayes: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency provided operational situation reports during this incident.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2015 to Question 219323, how many hectares of land as mapped in the High Speed 2 Phase One environment statement have been allocated for (a) woodland, (b) wetland and (c) grass and habitat creation.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The number of hectares of land set aside for the various land uses are 522.7 for woodland, 45.7 for wetland and 410.5 for grass and habitat creation.

A63: Kingston upon Hull

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the A63 Castle Street Improvement Scheme.

Mr John Hayes: The Highways Agency has continued to liaise with Hull City Council regarding the Princes Quay footbridge and other aspects of the scheme, in order to inform the development of the design. In addition, they have continued to develop the traffic modelling required to inform aspects of the environmental and economic assessments. Further work has also been carried out in preparation for the ground investigation works in the Trinity Burial Ground, which will start shortly.

Wrecks: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to contact the families of the seafarers serving on the bulk carrier Cemfjord; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: The Department has had no direct contact with the families of the seafarers serving on the Cemfjord. There were no Britons among its crew. The crew’s next of kin are being kept informed of developments in the investigation through the ship’s owner. Nevertheless, we will ensure that any information that becomes known is made available.

Wrecks: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives of the (a) Cyprus ship registery, (b) ship management company and (c) ship owner on the sinking of the Cemfjord in the Pentland Firth on 3 January 2015.

Mr John Hayes: As part of its investigation into this tragic accident, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has made contact with all the key stakeholders and in particular with the Marine Accident and Incident Investigation Committee of Cyprus, which is providing its support in accordance with the requirements of Directive 2009/18/EC. Interviews and meetings will continue in the coming weeks.

Wrecks: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the Marine Accident Investigation Branch to produce initial findings from its investigation into the causes of the sinking of the bulk carrier Cemfjord in the Pentland Firth on 3 January 2015.

Mr John Hayes: In the absence of any survivors of this tragic accident, and with challenging weather and tidal conditions at the wreck site, it is unlikely that the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) will be able to establish the causes and circumstances for some time. The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents has advised me that a full assessment of why the Cemfjord foundered will not be possible until a survey of the wreck site has been undertaken and analysed.

Wrecks: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the (a) Northern Lighthouse Board and (b) Maritime and Coastguard Agency responded to the sinking of the Cemfjord in the Pentland Firth on 3 January 2015.

Mr John Hayes: After the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) received a report of a capsized hull in the Pentland Firth Her Majesty’s Coastguard immediately coordinated a search and rescue (SAR) response. The SAR response included four lifeboats, two SAR helicopters and other vessels in the Pentland Firth area. The emergency towing vessel was sent to mark the position of the capsized ship and to offer expert advice on any salvage effort. Five Coastguard Rescue Teams, based either on Orkney or on the north Scottish coast, assisted in the search. The Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) sent its lighthouse vessel PHAROS to the area to determine if the wreck was a hazard to navigation and to survey the seabed to locate the CEMFJORD. The wreck was found close to its final reported sinking position at a depth of around 70m, and is not a hazard to shipping. The MCA also arranged for additional flying of its surveillance aircraft to check that there were no signs of the crew in liferafts.

Radioactive Materials: Shipping

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what arrangements are in place for the rescue of ships carrying nuclear materials from British ports that run into operational difficulties off the coast of the UK; and whether any ports are designated safe havens for such vessels.

Mr John Hayes: The principles for responding to shipping casualties are set out in the National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations (NCP) Chapter 9 - Establishing the Level of Response. Following initial and continuous risk assessment of each incident as it evolves, additional response activities will be applied to meet the prevailing circumstance. A Hazardous Cargo Advisor provides technical support and advice, and would be involved in the event of any incident involving hazardous cargo (inclusive of nuclear waste cargoes). The Hazardous Cargo Advisor does not formulate cargo-type specific response plans. The UK does not have pre-designated Places of Refuge. If a vessel in need of assistance requires the identification of a Place of Refuge, a case by case assessment is made at the time, taking account of the circumstances of the casualty vessel, its cargo, the impact that it might have on the chosen refuge location and the requirements of any extended recovery effort.

Hazardous Substances: Shipping

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the emergency tug provision in the UK for lending assistance to ships carrying hazardous cargoes that become distressed.

Mr John Hayes: Assessments were made on the provision of emergency tugs in the UK in preparation for the last Spending Review. As a result of this assessment, and in the context of other spending priorities, the Government funded Emergency Towing Vessels (ETVs) were withdrawn in September 2011. An ETV was subsequently reinstated for the waters off North and North West Scotland in the absence of commercial provision, and this vessel will be available until at least 31 March 2016. Whenever a ship has required towage it has been able to secure the necessary services, irrespective of its cargo. In addition, there have not been any pollution incidences in UK waters where towage has not been available.

Driving: Young People

Mr David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what terms of reference have been set for his Department's research project on the effect of telematics on young drivers; and when he plans to publish the outcomes of each of that project's phases.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department has just awarded a research contract for a project which is intended to demonstrate the road safety benefits which could arise as a result of novice drivers using telematics products. A description of the Department’s research requirement has been placed in Libraries of both Houses. We expect phase one to be completed in April 2015. The timing of phase two will be dependent on the first phase.

High Speed Two

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff of HS2 Ltd are employed on personal service contracts.

Mr Robert Goodwill: No staff are employed directly by HS2 Ltd on personal services contracts.

High Speed Two

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff of HS2 Ltd on personal service contracts are paid more than £1,000 a day.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There are no staff employed directly by HS2 Ltd on personal services contracts.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of building the London terminus for High Speed 2 at Euston.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The plans for Euston are being developed to meet the timescales of the current parliamentary process. The revised scheme will be deposited later this year to enable consideration of the scheme in Select Committee. This will include the latest cost estimate for building the station.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any employers have indicated an intention to transfer activities from London to Birmingham after the opening of Phase 1 of High Speed 2.

Mr Robert Goodwill: HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport are not aware of any businesses that have indicated that they plan to relocate from London to Birmingham. However, as the HS2 scheme is not expected to receive Royal Assent until 2016 and will not be operational until 2026, the Department would not expect businesses to make relocation plans at this early stage. In the interim period however, Greater Birmingham and Solihull’s Local Enterprise Partnership are undertaking work as part of both their Strategic Economic Plans to attract more jobs and businesses to their area. They are also developing HS2 Growth Strategies to maximise the wider benefits the railway will bring.

Driving: Licensing

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he received from the general public and others in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) England before deciding to put the Union flag on driving licences, in favour of that change.

Claire Perry: No representations from the general public were received prior to the decision to include the Union flag on driving licences. Collective Government agreement was secured.

Driving: Licensing

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of (a) the initial extra and (b) the subsequent ongoing annual costs of putting the Welsh flag on the driving licence for drivers in Wales.

Claire Perry: Separate costs have not been estimated for putting the Welsh flag on the driving licence as these fall within the overall costs associated with providing any choices. The Government did consider giving motorists the choice of whether or not to have a licence showing the Union flag and offering a choice of national symbol. However, the costs involved in making the system and other changes required to offer such a choice were prohibitive.

Driving: Licensing

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the date by which all driving licences in Britain will carry the Union flag through the process of licence renewal.

Claire Perry: All licences for drivers in England, Scotland and Wales issued from summer 2015 will carry the Union flag. Drivers are required to renew their photocard driving licences every ten years. To meet legislative requirements every licence in circulation will be a photocard by 2033. All valid driving licences will carry the Union flag by then.

Roads: Capital Investment

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the environmental effect of the Government's road investment strategy announced on 1 December 2014.

Mr John Hayes: Environmental appraisals of each individual scheme announced on 1 December will be brought forward as part of the standard scheme development process. Separate to this, the Road Investment Strategy also includes commitments to over £500m of environmental spending through a series of ring-fenced ‘designated funds’, which will bring about real improvements to the existing network.

Cycling: Safety

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to promote awareness among motorists of cyclist safety.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In September 2012 we launched the THINK! Cyclist, Look Out for Each Other campaign http://think.direct.gov.uk/cycling.html. This was the first time a THINK! (road safety) campaign has been aimed at adult cyclists. As part of this campaign, in October 2013, we launched the THINK! Cyclist ‘Safety Tips’ campaign in five cities across England. The campaign originally ran in London before being rolled out in the 5 cities where statistics show the highest rates of traffic collisions involving cyclists compared to population. In March 2014 we ran a second round of this campaign. Analysis of the THINK! Cyclist ‘Safety Tips’ campaign showed that almost 79% of drivers agreed the adverts reminded them about the importance of looking out for cyclists while 59% agreed that the adverts made them think about their driving.

Cycling

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will ensure that the needs of cyclists are considered when infrastructure contracts are awarded.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In August 2013 the Prime Minister announced his intention to "cycle proof" the road network - in other words, to ensure that people using cycles are considered from the design stage of new and improved road infrastructure. Cycle proofing is a process which over time ensures that the built environment generally, and roads specifically, are seen to be safe, convenient and pleasant for cycle use by people of all ages and abilities.Work to cycle proof roads has already begun. The Highways Agency has recently published its Strategic Business Plan[1] which sets out how they will improve facilities for people cycling or walking alongside the strategic road network. Designated funding has been allocated to make provision for vulnerable users when designing and building major schemes and where feasible make it safer and easier for cyclists and pedestrians to access local routes when crossing the strategic road network. For cyclists the Agency will:· Invest £100m to improve access, integration and facilities on and around the network;· Undertake studies at 600 sites identified in conjunction with Sustrans and the National Cycling Charity to decide the best potential solution for each location;· Provide additional professional development training for those engineers and planners responsible for designing schemes to include appropriate cycling provision;· Produce its first National Cycling Strategy by the end of 2015. All contracts on the Agency’s network use the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges[2] (DMRB) for the design of works and the Manual of Contract Documents for Highway Works[3] as the specification. The DMRB incorporates requirements, processes and procedures to ensure that the needs of vulnerable road users are considered and included at scheme design stage. The Department is currently finalising the Cycling Delivery Plan. Several actions outlined in that Plan will contribute further to this cycle proofing work. The Department will seek to ensure roads projects that receive government funding, as well as those conducted by local authorities, are cycle proofed. This means that the needs of people using cycles are considered from the design stage. The Department is also working to ensure Highways engineers have evidence based tools with which to design high quality conditions for cycling on England's roads. This includes updating the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions, and – where suitable and appropriate - endorsing the use of new standards and guidance produced by other authorities in the UK. We do of course consider the needs of all users of public transport, including cyclists, at railway stations. That is why we have allocated almost £30 million for cycling facilities and we are on track to triple the number of cycle parking spaces at railway stations. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/387252/141215_Strategic_business_plan.pdf [2] http://www.standardsforhighways.co.uk/dmrb/ [3] http://www.standardsforhighways.co.uk/mchw/

Exeter-Plymouth Railway Line

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to increase capacity on the railway between Exeter and Plymouth.

Claire Perry: Future rail proposals are being developed with local stakeholders the department and Network Rail, this group will be deliver a local plan for rail investment covering the next 10-20 years. The first step in this process is a meeting of interested parties which is being organised by the South West Peninsular Group, and is due to take place early February. This meeting will work through what is required to provide the South West with greater accessibility and to examine wider issues surrounding connectivity to and within the South West Peninsula.

Home Office

Immigrants: Detainees

Mr Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much compensation her Department has paid for unlawfully detaining people under immigration powers in Scotland in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Detention is used as a last resort when we consider that there is a risk of harm to the public, or of detainees absconding before they can be removed. We have a robust process for reviewing detention decisions to ensure that they are justified and necessary; occasionally, the courts will disagree with a particular decision and award compensation, but this happens in less than 1% of all detention cases. The amounts paid by the Home Office in compensation following claims for unlawful detention in Scotland were as follows:Financial Year No. of Claimants Amount Paid2011-12 3 £39,3002013-14 2 £13,500It is not possible to provide similar information for earlier periods, as data are not held in the appropriate format and to extract them would incur disproportionate cost.

Marriage Certificates

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to allow the mothers of brides and grooms to be named on marriage certificates; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 07 January 2015



Any change would require funding and changes to legislation and IT systems. We are currently developing possible options and potential timelines for legislative change which would help to bring this change into force.

Radicalism

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of cross-government spending on tackling extremism since 2010.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 09 January 2015



The Home Office has not conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of cross-government spending on tackling extremism.

Offences against Children

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to comments made by the director of Parents Against Sexual Exploitation on BBC Radio 4 on 31 December 2014, what assessment she has made of (a) the geographical extent of the incidence of young people being groomed for sexual abuse and (b) the adequacy of skills in police forces to deal with such abuse.

Lynne Featherstone: We know that child sexual abuse and exploitation are not confined to any particular areas of the country. It can take on many different forms. There were 495 sexual grooming offences recorded by the police in England and Wales in the year to June 2014, a 32% increase from 376 offences in the year to June 2013.This Government is absolutely determined that every case of child sexual abuse or exploitation is fully investigated and all perpetrators prosecuted, we will do nothing to jeopardise those aims.The Home Secretary has written to all chief constables to ask them to take on board the lessons from the Jay report into the failings in Rotherham, and from the rolling Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary inspections into how forces are protecting children.The National Policing Lead for child protection and abuse investigation has taken action to revise the national policing child sexual exploitation (CSE) action plan to take account of the learning from the Jay report and other recent publications. All chief constables have committed to a policing action plan that aims to raise the standards in tackling CSE so that the police are providing a consistently strong approach to protecting vulnerable young people. All frontline police officers receive training in identifying, protecting and safeguarding children. The College of Policing has issued authorised professional practice for police in relation to investigating child abuse and exploitation. The College of Policing has maintained its commitment to training, and has in the last 18 months introduced a Professional Register for those who are trained as Child Abuse Investigators. Dedicated child protection police officers also receive specialist training in investigating child abuse cases and the College of Policing are delivering additional training for frontline staff to recognise, protect and refer children at risk of child sexual exploitation. This will result in greater awareness and better handling of victims by the police along with improved police performance in tackling the perpetrators.

Drugs: Misuse

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2014 to Question 213652, what progress her Department has made on developing proposals for a blanket ban on the sale of new psychoactive substances.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 15 January 2015



Pursuant to the government response to the new psychoactive substances review expert panel’s report, the Government is developing new legislation for a general ban on sales of new psychoactive substances similar to the approach adopted in Ireland in 2010, with a view to introducing legislation at the earliest opportunity, notwithstanding the lack of appropriate legislative vehicle in this Parliament. As part of this work, the Home Office is engaging with other relevant government departments, the Devolved Administrations and key partners.

Merseyside

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of her Department's budget was allocated to (a) the Wirral and (b) Birkenhead in 2013-14.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office does not allocate budget or record expenditure according to the location where the funds were spent. It is not possible to break down Home Office expenditure in this way as much of the Department's work - for instance on national security or protecting our borders - is done for the benefit of the United Kingdom as a whole.

Illegal Immigrants: Northern Ireland

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent irregularities in illegal immigration to the UK across the land border with Northern Ireland.

James Brokenshire: The UK and the Republic of Ireland share data in order to inform immigration decisions taken by both countries at the external border of the Common Travel Area. Immigration Enforcement and Border Force conduct intelligence-led operations within Northern Ireland to identify and take action against individuals who are seeking to or have entered the UK from the Republic of Ireland without the necessary leave.

Drugs: Smuggling

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help the Northern Ireland Executive and the Police Service of Northern Ireland to tackle drug smuggling in Northern Ireland.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 16 January 2015



Border Force is responsible for frontline international border control operations in Northern Ireland which includes tackling drug smuggling. Border Force has an active role in a number of the multi-agency Northern Ireland Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF) working groups, including the OCTF Drugs Subgroup. Border Force and the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) have existing operational pathways to ensure the drug seizures destined for Northern Ireland detected at the border can be adopted and investigated further by the PSNI.

South Yorkshire Police

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will request the Independent Police Complaints Commission announces when it plans to report on its investigations into the actions of the South Yorkshire Police at Orgreave coke works in 1984.

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information she holds on the reasons why the Independent Police Complaints Commission has not published its report on the actions of South Yorkshire Police at Orgreave coke works in 1984.

Mike Penning: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has completed its assessment of matters arising from the policing of events at Orgreave in 1984 and is currently obtaining legal advice regarding the publication of the outcome of its assessment. This has been a very complex exercise which has required the in-depth analysis of a vast amount of documentation from over 30 years ago. As the IPCC is an independent organisation the Government has no control or influence over the date of publication of its findings.

Radicalism

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the fifth bullet point of paragraph 301 of the Report of the Task Force on Tackling Radicalisation and Extremism, published in December 2013, how many people have been excluded since that recommendation was made.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 16 January 2015



In total the Government has excluded 44 people from the UK since December 2013.

Asylum

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department takes into account reports produced or evidence submitted by non-governmental human rights organisations in deciding on claims for asylum made on the grounds of political persecution or a risk to someone's life.

James Brokenshire: In reaching decisions on asylum claims, caseworkers have access to a wide range of published country of origin information produced by the Home Office, which includes reference to reports produced or submitted by national or international human rights organisations.

Crimes of Violence: Females

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on implementation of the violence against women and girls action plan.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Radicalism

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 4.2 of the report of the Prime Minister's Task Force on Tackling Radicalisation and Extremism, published in December 2013, in how many areas of the country delivery of Prevent has been made a legal requirement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Radicalism

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 2.3 of the report of the Prime Minister's Task Force on Tackling Radicalisation and Extremism, published in December 2013, which organisations have received support and advice to exclude extremists; and what funding for that purpose each such organisation has received.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Sexual Offences

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of registered sex offenders who travel abroad each year.

Lynne Featherstone: Public protection is a priority for this government, and the notification requirements for registered sex offenders form an invaluable tool in the management of offenders within the community. The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with sex offenders and we are committed to ensuring that the system is as robust as it can be.In 2012 this government extended and strengthened the system, including requiring offenders subject to the to the notification requirements to notify the police of all foreign travel.Registered sex offenders are managed by the local police force, and data on the number of registered sex offenders who travel abroad are not held centrally.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Sri Lanka

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government took to ensure that the recent election in Sri Lanka was free and fair; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: The UK joined an EU Heads of Mission statement on 2 January calling for the elections to be peaceful, credible and transparent. We encouraged the government of Sri Lanka to invite international observers, including from the EU and the Commonwealth, and provided support to local election monitoring groups. Officials from the British High Commission in Colombo also travelled around the country in the run-up to elections, observing the preparations and voting process, and co-ordinating closely with like-minded diplomatic missions and local groups.

Turkey

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to encourage the consolidation of developments in religious freedom in Turkey.

Mr David Lidington: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 19 January 2015.The correct answer should have been:

We regularly raise the issue of religious freedom in bilateral discussions with the Turkish government. In early January 2015, Her Majesty´s Ambassador to Turkey met with the Head of the Diyanet (Presidency of Religious Affairs in Turkey) to discuss religious freedom. In 2014, we organised a round table with religious groups in Istanbul with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Our embassy in Ankara has regular meetings with religious groups and civil society to discuss strengthening freedom of religion in Turkey. The 2014 European Commission Annual Progress report on Turkey noted the need for comprehensive reform of legislation on freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and application of this legislation, in line with European Court of Human Rights rulings, Council of Europe recommendations and EU standards. We support this assessment and will continue to work closely with Turkey, EU Member States, and with the European institutions, to encourage further reforms, including on religious freedom, that will continue to underpin Turkey’s accession process.

David T. C. Davies: We regularly raise the issue of religious freedom in bilateral discussions with the Turkish government. In early January 2015, Her Majesty´s Ambassador to Turkey met with the Head of the Diyanet (Presidency of Religious Affairs in Turkey) to discuss religious freedom. In 2014, we organised a round table with religious groups in Istanbul with the Archbishop of Canterbury. Our embassy in Ankara has regular meetings with religious groups and civil society to discuss strengthening freedom of religion in Turkey. The 2014 European Commission Annual Progress report on Turkey noted the need for comprehensive reform of legislation on freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and application of this legislation, in line with European Court of Human Rights rulings, Council of Europe recommendations and EU standards. We support this assessment and will continue to work closely with Turkey, EU Member States, and with the European institutions, to encourage further reforms, including on religious freedom, that will continue to underpin Turkey’s accession process.

Religious Freedom

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote freedom of religion internationally.

Mr David Lidington: The promotion and protection of the right to freedom of religion or belief is one of the UK’s human rights priorities. We actively raise individual cases and work to combat discriminatory legislation and practices through multilateral systems and targeted project work.As an example of our bilateral work, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has raised our concerns regarding misuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on several occasions, most recently in December 2014. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised our concerns with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on 13 November. The Parliamentary-Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), also raised the misuse of these laws with Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK in October.We are active in our project work in a wide range of countries and we will continue to be active bilaterally, multilaterally, through project work and in providing training to our staff to tackle religious persecution internationally.

Cyprus

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's obligations are as a guarantor of the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee in relation to Cyprus.

Mr David Lidington: Under the Treaty of Guarantee the three Guarantor Powers - UK, Turkey and Greece - guarantee the independence, territorial integrity and security of the Republic of Cyprus. If the Treaty provisions are breached, Article IV provides for the three Guarantor powers to consult. The UK meets its current obligations under the Treaty through supporting the UN-facilitated settlement process, which is aimed at achieving a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality as defined by the relevant Security Council resolutions.

Cyprus

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if in the Government's role as a guarantor of the 1960 Treaty in relation to Cyprus he will make representations to the UN facilitated process for a comprehensive settlement on the confiscation of property owned by Turkish  Cypriots in Vasiliko in order to facilitate oil and gas exploitation in Northern and Southern Cyprus.

Mr David Lidington: The UK strongly supports the UN-facilitated process for a comprehensive settlement, which remains the best way to address the complex issues relating to the division of Cyprus, including issues of property ownership and access. We have no current plans to make representations to the Government of the Republic of Cyprus on the issue of proposed developments in the Vasiliko area. The Treaty of Guarantee (1960) provides for the three Guarantor powers to consult in order to guarantee the independence, territorial integrity and security of the Republic of Cyprus. The UK meets its current obligations under the Treaty through supporting the UN-facilitated settlement process, which is aimed at achieving a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality as defined by the relevant Security Council resolutions.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Pensions

Mr Ian Davidson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what account he has made of the performance of the launch of MyCSP; what targets have been set for the delivery of this service; and whether they have been met to date.

Mr Francis Maude: The launch of MyCSP as a mutual joint venture (MJV) was reported in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13.The Cabinet Office has a contract with MyCSP Limited to provide pension administration services for the Civil Service pension scheme. MyCSP has met all key performance standards since February 2013. Overall performance is reviewed at regular contract meetings with officials and by the Civil Service Pensions Board which includes industry experts and nominees of Civil Service employers and scheme members. Further to my answer of 8 January 2015 to the hon. Member for Leicester South about pre-existing issues, MyCSP took responsibility for the administration of the pensioner payroll from the previous supplier and inherited an unexpectedly large backlog of work. This caused a temporary dip in performance and some pension payments were delayed as a result. The Cabinet Office has instructed MyCSP to prioritise ensuring delayed payments are resolved quickly and returning service levels to normal as quickly as possible.MyCSP vested as a MJV in May 2012 which permitted the injection of much needed new investment in IT, capability and technology into MyCSP. None of the recent service issues are as a result of the MJV model. The transformation this investment is enabling will allow MyCSP to deliver a wider range of services (including online services) to higher standards whilst halving the cost of pension administration within 10 years. Even before this transformation is fully completed (and whilst continuing to work with legacy systems and problems inherited from the predecessor organisation), MyCSP has improved productivity by 15% year-on-year since 2012, driven down staff absenteeism, while also improving staff engagement.

Staff

Pamela Nash: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much 10 Downing Street spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last five years.

Mr Francis Maude: Since 2011, details of Cabinet Office expenditure over £25,000 is published at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-dataThe Cabinet Office does not hold a central record of outplacement agency fees, nor does it hold a central record of recruitment agency fees as it does not disaggregate these costs from general recruitment costs.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Trade Promotion

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received on the changes to the budget of the Tradeshow Access Programme by UK Trade & Investment in November 2014.

Matthew Hancock: There have been representations received on the budget changes to the Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) from trade associations and businesses largely in the textiles and footwear industry; and from the Sponsors Alliance, a grouping of organisations who receive payment to help UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) deliver TAP support. UKTI expenditure in 2014/15 on TAP is expected to be 35% higher than 2009/10.

Trade Promotion

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what forecast he has made of the value of export sales for UK companies generated by attendance at overseas exhibitions through the use of the Tradeshow Access Programme during the life of that programme; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: Records of the value of export sales generated by companies attending overseas exhibitions through the use of the Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) throughout the life of the programme are not available.

Students: Fees and Charges

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much tuition fee income was raised from students studying STEM subjects at UK universities in each of the last five years.

Greg Clark: Holding answer received on 15 January 2015



The Government does not collect information on the tuition fee income that Higher Education Institutions earn from particular subject provision.

Teachers: Surveys

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the average response rate of initial teacher training students trained in universities to the National Student Survey was in each year since 2010.

Greg Clark: Holding answer received on 15 January 2015



The average National Student Survey response rates from students on initial teacher training courses in English higher education institutions are as follows:   YearNational Student Survey Response Rate (%)201068.6201171.9201272.4201373.7201478.0 Note: The data includes only those students that are fundable by the National College of Teaching and Learning.

Consumers: Protection

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the oral Answer of 8 January 2015, Official Report, columns 382-3, which organisations and businesses he consulted prior to adopting the Government's position of opposing the product safety and market surveillance package at the European Council; and if he will meet Steelite International to discuss mandatory country of origin marking.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills ran a formal consultation on the Product Safety and Market Surveillance Package from 10 July 2013 to 4 September 2013. Details of the Consultation can be found on the following link to the Gov.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/product-safety-and-market-surveillance-package-proposal-for-new-european-regulations In response to the specific question about country of origin marking contained in the Consultation paper we received responses from a wide range of stakeholders including 25 trade associations, but only 2 of these indicated to us that they agreed with the proposed mandatory requirements for all consumer products to bear indication of origin marking I would of course welcome any evidence Steelite International may have on the cost benefits of mandatory country of origin marking for consumer products and I will ask my officials to meet them to discuss this.

Science: Graduates

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many students in England and Wales graduated in STEM subjects in each of the last five years.

Greg Clark: The Higher Education Statistics Agency collects and publishes data on student enrolments at UK Higher Education Providers. Statistics on the number of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic First Degree qualifiers at English and Welsh Higher Education Providers over the last five years are provided in the table. In the 2013/14 academic year, a new methodology was implemented (which counted Open University students by their national centre and not the administrative centre). Therefore, this new methodology has been applied for the previous years to ensure consistency with the data. The Higher Education Statistics Agency will publish statistics for the 2014/15 academic year in January 2016.   First Degree Qualifiers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic Subjects English and Welsh Higher Education Providers Academic Years 2009/10 to 2013/14  2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/14England116, 000121,315128,165135,825142,160Wales8,4459,0559,5659,67010,135   Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest five 2. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic subjects has been classified by using the Joint Academic Coding System and is comprised of the following subject areas: Medicine & dentistry; Subjects allied to medicine; Biological sciences; Veterinary science; Agriculture & related subjects; Physical sciences; Mathematical sciences; Computer science; Engineering & technology; Architecture, building & planning

Electronic Cigarettes

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to prevent poorly manufactured or dangerous e-cigarettes being imported into the UK.

Jo Swinson: All products intended for use by consumers are regulated under the General Product Safety Regulations (GPSR) 2005 which implements the EU’s General Product Safety Directive (GPSD). A producer must not supply a consumer product unless it satisfies the general safety requirement (regulation 5 of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005). Further still there is also robust legislation, in the form of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations; these implement into UK law the European Council Directive 2006/95/EEC - commonly referred to as the Low Voltage Directive (LVD) - which cover electrical products such as chargers. This requires the charger to be safe and constructed to good engineering practice and be supplied with relevant safety advice and operating instructions. The enforcement of the legislation falls to Local Authority Trading Standards Services.   The revised Tobacco Products Directive (Directive 2014/40/EU), which will enter into force from May 2016 will ensure a high level of health protection for UK citizens. It will establish new rules for the safety, quality, ingredients and presentation of consumer electronic cigarettes, as well as refill mechanisms. The new regulations will require six month prior notification of a range of information before either e-cigarettes or refills are placed on the market.   In the meantime, the Department is currently funding a market surveillance project led by Dorset Trading Standards and involving 40 local authorities across England to ascertain whether there are significant product safety issues for the e-cigarette market in the UK. The main deliverable from this project will be a report with recommendations for future steps to be taken by industry, Trading Standards and Government. The report will be shared with the relevant enforcement authorities in the UK.

Higher Education: Admissions

Rebecca Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the reduction in the student opportunity allocation on the ability of financially-disadvantaged students to access higher education.

Greg Clark: In the annual grant letters to the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Government has made it clear that widening participation is a priority. Overall investment in widening participation through the Student Opportunity Fund and other sources increased from £977m in 2012-13 to £1,129m in 2014-15.   Information from UCAS for the 2014 application cycle shows that the entry rate for the most disadvantaged has risen by 10% proportionately to 18.2%, the highest ever, making disadvantaged young people in England a third more likely to enter university in 2014 than five years ago.

New Businesses: Government Assistance

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many and what proportion of start-up loans have been taken up by black and minority ethnic people in the last five years.

Matthew Hancock: As of 31st December 2014, 6,351 start-up loans with a value of £34.8 million have been drawn down by black and minority ethnic people. This equates to 25% of the total lent under the programme.

Apprentices

Mr John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many students started a level 4 apprenticeship in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2011-12 in each parliamentary constituency.

Mr John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many students started a level 5 apprenticeship in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2011-12 in each parliamentary constituency.

Mr John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many students started a level 6 apprenticeship in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2011-12 in each parliamentary constituency.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 16 January 2015



Information on the number of Higher Apprenticeship starts in England by Level and Parliamentary Constituency is attached.   Although level 4 and 5 apprenticeships were available in all three years, level 6 and 7 apprenticeships were only enabled by legislation from April 2013. Official apprenticeship data provides complete information for government-funded apprenticeships and this shows that there were no starts on the four available level 6 apprenticeships during the 2013/14 academic year. 



Higher Apprenticeship Programme Starts 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 82.75 KB)

Insolvency

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received from creditors of companies which go into insolvency about the Insolvency Act 1986.

Jo Swinson: I regularly receive representations from those who are owed monies by insolvent companies. Unfortunately it is the inevitable consequence of insolvency that some creditors will remain unpaid, but the Government is committed to making sure that we have the fairest possible insolvency regime for when things go wrong. Measures contained in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill will benefit creditors by saving an estimated £20m per year from the cost of insolvency proceedings.

Insolvency

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received from creditors of companies which have gone into liquidation about the priority of payments in cases of liquidation.

Jo Swinson: I occasionally receive representations from creditors of companies in liquidation about priority of payments in those cases. In broad terms, the principle applied in insolvency cases is that creditors are treated equally, and will receive any payment they are due after the fees, costs and expenses of the liquidation have been paid. This is not an area which the Government has any current plans to change.

Students: Finance

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to ensure that students undertaking a level 6 diploma in professional dance are consistently regarded as being in higher or further education for the purpose of housing benefit and access to student loans and financial support.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 16 January 2015



  An Upper Tribunal of HM Courts and Tribunal Service affirmed in July 2013 that, for the purposes of Housing Benefit, all courses of Level 4 and above were courses of higher education, and students undertaking a Level 6 Diploma in professional dance are not eligible for Housing Benefit. This decision was to be disseminated to all Local Authorities to ensure any Housing Benefit payment discrepancies would cease.   For the purposes of Higher Education student support, a course must be designated in accordance with the relevant Education (Student Support) Regulations. A key eligibility requirement is that a course should lead to an award granted by a body with UK degree awarding powers. These Level 6 Diplomas are not granted by such a body and therefore are not eligible for HE student funding.   The Department continues to provide funding through the Dance and Drama Awards scheme for a small number of dance and drama higher vocational Diplomas.

Executives: Pay

Dr William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will bring forward proposals to curb excessive pay increases for senior executives; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: The Government has taken decisive action to restore the link between top pay and performance. In October 2013 new laws comprehensively reforming the governance of company directors’ pay came into force, boosting transparency so that shareholders have adequate information, and giving them the power to hold companies to account. We are also seeing good signs of improved engagement between investors and companies: with a clear impact on directors’ pay awards. The latest evidence shows that median total remuneration awarded to FTSE100 CEOs fell by 5% in 2012 and by a further 7% in 2013. At the same time 35% of CEOs and 30% of executive directors in FTSE100 companies did not receive a salary increase in 2013. The Government is monitoring the impact of the reforms and will consider further measures if necessary.

Social Services: Pay

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the contribution of 13 January 2015 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Official Report, columns 218-22WH, on care sector, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department of Health on the effect of commissioning decisions by local authorities on the level of compliance with the national minimum wage in the care sector; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: The Government is taking action to improve compliance with the National Minimum Wage (NMW) in the social care sector. We are working closely with the Department of Health, Communities and Local Government and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Over the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013, HMRC have made enquiries into 224 employers in the social care sector. Over half of these were paying less than the minimum wage between them owing £1,319 729 arrears of pay to 6550 workers, with penalties issued with a total value of £146,931. There are 94 investigations currently underway in the social care sector. The Department of Health have recently published statutory guidance for local authorities as part of the package of secondary legislation to accompany the Care Act. The chapter of statutory guidance on commissioning and market shaping explicitly states that local authorities should have evidence that contract terms, conditions and fee levels will not compromise care providers’ ability to pay at least minimum wages. The Department of Health is asking all Local Authorities to sign up to the Social Care Commitment which incorporates a statement about employer compliance with minimum wage legislation. The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has written out to all its members encouraging them to support the Commitment as a way of raising standards in adult social care. The Department of Health is also working with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Health Services Management Centre at Birmingham University to develop as set of Commissioning Standards. Local authorities will be encouraged to use these as a benchmark to support them to improve commissioning practices, including those which have an impact on the social care workforce such as employer compliance with National Minimum Wage. In addition to the actions we are currently taking to reduce non-compliance in the social care sector, we will also be: • issuing guidance to employers so that they understand the NMW law, including tips to avoid common mistakes and the records that they should be keeping to prove that they are paying their workers correctly. • encouraging care sector workers who have been underpaid to make a complaint- making sure that they understand their entitlement. HMRC have started work on new targeted enforcement work in the care sector. Any worker who is concerned that they have not received what they are entitled to should call the helpline on 0800 917 2368. HMRC follow up every complaint.

Science: Finance

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution to the economy of the investment in science announced in the Autumn Statement 2014; and what steps he plans to take to maximise that contribution.

Greg Clark: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

EU External Trade: USA

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his policy is on investor-state dispute settlement in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Matthew Hancock: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 7 November 2014 to question 212541.

Staff

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last five years.

Jo Swinson: The majority of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) training budget is delegated to the individual business units. This enables them to target resources to their learning priorities. BIS does not centrally collate details of individual course attendances.   The spend on training in core BIS in the last five years is   YearSpend £2010/112,340,5752011/122,662,9672012/132,070,9992013/141,840,8502014/15 (figure as at end November 2014)1,000,995   We are unable to provide details of spend in relation to parts (a) and (b). The information is not held against discrete finance headings and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Higher Education: Admissions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of successful applications to UK universities were made by British people from BME communities in each year since 2010.

Greg Clark: The latest available figures are shown in the table. The figures for 2014 entry will be published by UCAS on January 21st.   Accepted applicants from the UK to full-time undergraduate courses in the UK, by ethnic groupYear of entry 2010201120122013 Numbers%Numbers%Numbers%Numbers%Total424,634100.0431,235100.0407,391100.0434,690100.0of which:White331,49178.1333,19877.3308,54575.7328,62575.6Black27,1626.429,6886.930,7947.632,4857.5Asian40,7379.643,21110.042,56110.445,66510.5Mixed14,1853.315,4943.614,8213.616,2553.7Other4,4191.04,7091.15,9011.46,1951.4Unknown6,6401.64,9351.14,7691.25,4601.3 Source: UCAS

City Link

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department is providing support to former employees of City Link to find new employment.

Matthew Hancock: Job Centre Plus’ Rapid Response Service is available to any paid employee, at the discretion of the Jobcentre District, who has lost their job or had their contract terminated as a result of workforce management measures.   This means that employees employed directly by City Link and those sub-contracted to them will be considered for Rapid Response Service support to help them move into new jobs. The service is delivered locally with partners and is tailored to the individual’s needs. It can include some or all of the following elements:   o Information advice and guidance o Help with job searches including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them o Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour market) o Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised certification that will improve employability o Help to overcome barriers to attending training or securing a job or self-employment such as child care costs, necessary tools, work clothes, travel costs etc.

Ordnance Survey

Mr James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether Ordnance Survey is conducting aerial photography of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: Ordnance Survey captures aerial photography every year and uses this imagery to update the OS MasterMap® of Great Britain in order to fulfil its obligations under its Public Task. In addition, Ordnance Survey makes the aerial photography available as a product for its customers’ use in the Government, Business and Consumer markets; this is called OS MasterMap® Imagery Layer. Ordnance Survey has been acquiring aerial imagery since the 1930s and established its own Flying Unit in 1966. Ordnance Survey captures imagery in order to meet its commitments to maintain the currency of its mapping data as laid before Parliament in its annual Agency Performance Monitors.

Business: Government Assistance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how often he reviews the cost effectiveness of corporate welfare schemes; and what the criteria are for such schemes to be continued.

Matthew Hancock: The Government does not support any corporate welfare schemes.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Equality

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the effectiveness of the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014 in reducing gender inequality.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID is assessing the impact of the Gender Equality Act 2014. In accordance with the Act, our assessment and other information on compliance with the Act and the department’s wider work on gender will be contained in DFID’s Annual Reporting.

Overseas Aid

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much of the £1.8 billion allocated by her Department to economic development programmes has been spent to date.

Justine Greening: The £1.8 billion spend target for Economic Development is for financial year 2015/16.

Overseas Aid

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much money her Department has allocated to each of the pillars of the strategic framework for economic development.

Justine Greening: This information is not available in the form requested.

Overseas Aid

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether all projects and spending from the funds earmarked in the strategic framework for economic development has been added to her Department's Development Tracker.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will update her Department's Development Tracker so it is possible to filter projects by economic development.

Justine Greening: All DFID international development projects are loaded monthly onto the Development Tracker in accordance with the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) standard format which is available at http://iatistandard.org.

Overseas Aid

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much from her Department's budget planned for the strategic framework for economic development has been paid to commercial companies.

Justine Greening: This information is not available in the form requested.

Developing Countries: Female Genital Mutilation

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many officials of her Department in (a) the UK and (b) each station worldwide deal with FGM as part of their remit.

Justine Greening: Ending violence against women and girls – including ending FGM – is a cross-cutting priority for DFID and therefore it is not possible to report the specific number of staff working on this.

Department for Education

Schools: Buildings

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will publish the data gathered through the Property Data Survey Programme before the end of February 2015.

Mr David Laws: The Property Data Survey provides us with the most detailed picture to date of the condition of the school estate. The survey will be used to help ensure that the Department for Education, and those responsible for the maintenance and improvement of schools, are targeting investment most effectively.   Those responsible for schools have been sent copies of their survey data in draft, and our intention is to share final survey data with them later this year.

Pupil Exclusions: Drugs

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were excluded from school for (a) possession and (b) supply of illegal drugs in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not collect information on the number of pupils excluded from school for the possession and supply of illegal drugs. The Department publishes information on the number of pupils excluded permanently or for a fixed period for ‘drug and alcohol’ related reasons. Guidance to schools clarifies that this category includes exclusions for alcohol abuse, drug dealing, inappropriate use of prescribed drugs, possession of illegal drugs, smoking and substance abuse.Information showing the number of drug and alcohol related exclusions for 2008/09 to 2012/13 has been included in the attached Excel document. Further information on permanent and fixed period exclusions can be found in the “Statistics: exclusions” series [1].[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-exclusions



number of drug and alcohol related exclusions for 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 21.36 KB)

Schools: Bradford

Mr David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that Bradford has enough school places.

Mr David Laws: Local authorities are responsible for planning and securing sufficient school places in their area. We have committed £5 billion between 2011 and 2015 to help local authorities to create new school places, and an additional £2.35 billion up to 2017. Bradford has been allocated £88million in Basic Need funding for 2011 to 2017, in addition to centrally funded places through the Free Schools programme.

Academies

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many cluster academies there are in (a) Northamptonshire, (b) the Borough of Kettering and (c) England.

Mr Nick Gibb: There are 124 academies and free schools in Northamptonshire of which 74% are in formal chain arrangements. Across the country, 57% of all academies and free schools are in a formal chain of 2 or more schools and new academies are increasingly choosing to join a chain. Research shows that 87% of academies support other schools through formal and informal partnerships and 72% support schools they did not before conversion.

Ministry of Justice

Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of all recalls to prison have been fixed term recalls in each year since their introduction.

Andrew Selous: A fixed-term recall is one where an offender on licence is recalled for a 28 day period before being automatically re-released. It is available only to those offenders on licence who are not assessed as presenting a high risk of harm to the public. Offenders who are assessed as presenting a high risk of harm are not eligible to receive a fixed-term recall and will be given a standard recall, under which they can remain in custody, potentially, until the end of their sentence. They will be released before the end of their sentence only if the Parole Board or Secretary of State is satisfied they no longer need to be detained to protect the public. The statutory provisions for fixed-term recalls were included in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 and commenced in July 2008. The provisions were amended by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 and commenced in December 2012. The amendments were designed to provide offender managers with additional flexibility to determine whether a fixed-term recall was the appropriate way to respond to an offender’s breach of his licence conditions, notwithstanding that he had been given a fixed-term recall on a previous occasion. This Government is introducing a new test, in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, which must be applied to determine the type of recall given to an offender and to decide whether to re-release a recalled offender. The new test will ensure that any offender who has abused a fixed-term recall previously and persistently and wilfully refused to comply with his licence conditions will not receive a further fixed-term recall. The test will guide offender managers, so that all relevant considerations are taken into account before a decision is taken on the type of recall appropriate to deal with the breach of licence conditions. It will also ensure that a fixed-term recall is given only where we can be satisfied that the offender can be effectively managed when released after 28 days. The proportion of all recalls to prison that were fixed term given in the calendar years from 2008 is as follows: Calendar yearTotalFixed Term Recall (FTR)Proportion of Total Recalls which were FTRs2014 (to June)8412356942%201317330728042%201216481512431%201116227453228%20101547914293128%200914,71913,979127%2008213,55411,722113% 1 denotes data that has not been published. It has been taken from a live database and as such, it is subject to change. 2 the proportion of recalls which were FTRs in 2008 reflects that the FTR was available only from July 2008.

Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders who received a fixed term recall for reoffending during their licence period and were given a prison sentence for the new offence served a period in prison which was longer than the fixed term recall in each year since 2008.

Andrew Selous: The data required to answer this question is not held centrally. To ascertain the information would require a manual check through individual case records and this would exceed cost limits.

Judicial Review

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the contribution of the Secretary of State for Justice on 1 December 2014, Official Report, column 72, what the evidential basis was for his statement that minor technicalities in process have been used as an excuse to bring judicial review.

Mike Penning: The Government accepts that failures of procedure can amount to substantive unlawfulness, and that judicial review is a crucial mechanism by which such unlawfulness is considered and remedied by the court. However, we are concerned by the continuing potential for a judicial review to be brought on minor technical points which could not have, or which were highly unlikely to have, substantially affected the outcome for the applicant. The potential for this type of challenge has been recognised by the courts, which have developed an approach in case law under which, if the outcome would inevitably have been the same even if the alleged defect had not occurred, the court can refuse the remedy sought – see, for example, R v The Chief Constable of the Thames Valley Police, ex parte Cotton [1990] IRLR 344. However, in the Government’s view the ‘inevitable’ threshold is too high to deal effectively with claims brought on minor technical points. Consequently, in clause 64 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill (as introduced into the House of Lords), the Government is legislating to provide for a ‘highly likely’ threshold.

Merseyside

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much of his Department's budget was allocated to (a) the Wirral and (b) Birkenhead in 2013-14.

Mike Penning: The Department does not record data at the level of detail requested.

Domestic Violence

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department has issued on the treatment in the criminal treatment system of women experiencing domestic violence.

Mike Penning: Domestic abuse is the worst possible violation of the trust that those in close relationships place in one another. That is why tackling domestic violence and abuse has been one of this Government’s top priorities. We are committed to ensuring that victims of this serious crime are considered in all aspects of the criminal justice system, and supported appropriately. The Victims’ Code was implemented in December 2013. It sets out to criminal justice agencies the enhanced services and support they must provide to victims of the most serious crimes, including victims of domestic violence. This includes providing information on pre-trial therapy and counselling and referral to specialist organisations for support.As part of the current pilot of adult out-of-court disposals, the Ministry of Justice has issued guidance to the three participating police forces (Staffordshire, West Yorkshire, and Leicestershire) setting out how the framework should be used for low-level offences involving domestic violence. The guidance imposes a number of restrictions on the forces and requires them to obtain the victim’s consent for the matter to be dealt with out of court.In addition, the National Offender Management Service’s framework Supporting Women offenders who have experienced domestic or sexual violence, published in September 2011, is designed to provide guidance to those working with female offenders in custody and the community. The framework intends to ensure that interventions and services take place within an environment in which women who have been victims of domestic violence are able to both disclose abuse and receive support and advice in a safe, female only environment. In addition to these pieces of guidance, my Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department has issued the Violence Against Women and Girls Action Plan, which sets out the Government’s approach to tackling domestic violence and abuse, and is supported by guidance to victims, their friends, families, employers and colleagues.

Domestic Violence

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what practice directions are in place on the allocation of judges in civic and family courts to domestic violence cases; and how many judges on average are involved in such cases.

Simon Hughes: The allocation of judges in Family Court cases involving domestic violence is governed by Part 5 of the Family Court (Composition and Distribution of Business) Rules 2014, which came into force on 22nd April 2014.http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/840/part/5/madeThe allocation process for applications and proceedings in domestic violence cases (set out in Part 5 of the Rules) is governed by whether the application is being brought under Part 4 of the Family Law Act 1996.Domestic violence cases brought to the Family Court under Part 4 of the Family Law Act 1996 can therefore be heard by any judge sitting in the Family Court. We do not collect data on how many of the Family Court judges are involved in domestic violence cases.Practice Direction 12J (Child Arrangements and Contact Orders: Domestic Violence and Harm) sets out what the Family Court should do in any case in which it is “alleged or admitted, or there is other reason to believe, that the child or a party has experienced domestic violence or abuse perpetrated by another party or that there is a risk of such violence or abuse”;https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/family/practice_directions/pd_part_12j

Courts: Fines

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2015 to Question 217822, what was the value outstanding of impositions relating to (a) fines, (b) compensation orders, (c) victim surcharge orders and (d) prosecution costs orders in each local criminal justice board area at the end of each financial year from 2009-10.

Mike Penning: This Government takes recovery and enforcement of financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to finding new ways to ensure impositions are paid and to trace those who do not pay. This is why there has been a year on year increase in the total amount of financial penalties collected over the last three years. The amount of money collected reached an all time high of £290 million at the end of 2013/14 and collections continue to rise. In 2013/14 the total outstanding balance of financial impositions reduced by £26.7m (5%) in the year.  The table attached shows the value outstanding at the end of March each financial year, for the impositions made in the same year, broken down into a) fines, (b) compensation orders, (c) victim surcharge orders and (d) prosecution costs. This data is only available from 2011-12 onwards.  The total value outstanding of impositions regardless of imposition date relating to (a) fines, (b) compensation orders, (c) victim surcharge orders and (d) prosecution costs orders at the end of each financial year from 2010-11, as published in the HM Courts and Tribunals Service Trust Statements, are shown in the table below. The figures for 2009-10 are not available. It is not possible to break these figures down by local criminal justice board areas without incurring disproportionate costs.   Financial YearsFinesCompensationVictim SurchargeProsecution CostsTotal2010/11£413,158,000£70,122,000£10,488,000£131,427,000£625,195,0002011/12£388,292,000£68,484,000£9,877,000£130,102,000£596,755,0002012/13£370,591,000£67,564,000£12,084,000£128,289,000£578,528,0002013/14£335,377,000£67,918,000£21,110,000£126,861,000£551,266,000   The ‘value outstanding’ figures in the table attached include accounts that were not due to be paid by the end of the period specified (either because they were imposed close to the end of the year or because they had payment timescales set by the courts for beyond the end of the financial year) and those that were being paid by instalments on agreed payment plans. These figures include fines, compensation orders, victim surcharge orders and prosecution costs orders.  It is not possible to provide figures on the amounts outstanding on fines, compensation orders, victim surcharge orders and prosecution costs orders in exactly the same format as the answer given for Question 217822 due to the constraints of the current IT system.  



Outstanding balance table 2011-12 to 2013-14
(Excel SpreadSheet, 27.5 KB)

Courts: Fines

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2015 to Question 217822, what the total value was of outstanding financial impositions in each local criminal justice board area at the end of (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13.

Mike Penning: This Government takes recovery and enforcement of financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to finding new ways to ensure impositions are paid and to trace those who do not pay. This is why there has been a year on year increase in the total amount of financial penalties collected over the last three years. The amount of money collected reached an all time high of £290 million at the end of 2013/14 and collections continue to rise. In 2013/14 the total outstanding balance of financial impositions reduced by £26.7m (5%) in the year. The table below shows the value of financial impositions outstanding as at the end of the financial years (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13. For the financial years 2011-12 and 2012-13, the first column of figures represents the outstanding balance of the impositions made during the 2013-14 financial year and the second shows the total value outstanding regardless of imposition date. The ‘in year outstanding value’ is included within the total outstanding value figure. The figures cannot be presented in this manner prior to 2011-12. The ‘value outstanding’ figures includes accounts that were not due to be paid by the end of the period specified (either because they were imposed close to the end of the year or because they had payment timescales set by the courts for beyond the end of the financial year) and those that were being paid by instalments on agreed payment plans. These figures include fines, compensation orders, victim surcharge orders and prosecution costs orders.



outstanding balance - local crim justice boards
(Excel SpreadSheet, 29 KB)

Procurement

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who bid for the contract arising from his Department's Compliance and Environment Services Project in response to the notice published in the Official Journal of the EU; and which bidders remain in the competition.

Mike Penning: HMCTS invited Atos, Just CD, Synnex Concentrix, BT and Capita to bid for the Compliance and Enforcement Services contract. Atos and Capita withdrew from the competition. Just CD, Synnex Concentrix and BT reached the Invitation To Negotiate stage of the competition.

Procurement

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to award a contract arising from his Department's Compliance and Enforcement Services Project.

Mike Penning: The contract will be awarded following full evaluation of the Final Bids and governance of the project’s Full Business Case. It is anticipated that this will be in early 2015.

Licensing Laws

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted of selling alcohol to an intoxicated person in each of the last five years for which data are available.

Mike Penning: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts for offences related to the sale of alcohol to an intoxicated person in England and Wales, from 2009 to 2013 (the latest available), can be viewed in the table below.Offenders found guilty at all courts for offences related to selling alcohol to an intoxicated person (1), England and Wales, 2009 to 2013 (2)(3) 20092010201120122013 635105 (1) An offence under S141 of the Licensing Act 2003 (2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.Ref: PQ 220862

Ministry of Defence

Ministers' Private Offices

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in ministerial offices in his Department were appointed from (a) the Civil Service and (b) other bodies (i) between May 2005 and May 2010 and (ii) since May 2010.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 18 December 2014



There are currently 29 posts in the Ministry of Defence Ministerial offices filled by civil servants, military personnel and Special Advisers. There is a high turnover in these posts and in view of the significant number of staff who would have worked in Ministerial offices over the years specified, the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fraud

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) fraud and (b) financial error in (i) his Department, (ii) its executive agencies and (iii) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years.

Michael Fallon: Holding answer received on 18 December 2014



 Before 2012-13 fraud data was published within the HM Treasury Fraud Report or estimated in the National Fraud Authority Annual Fraud Indicators. From 2012-13, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has reported figures on fraud to the Cabinet Office as part of the Quarterly Data Summary returns for Central Departments and all Arms Length Bodies who receive over £100 million public funding a year. The MOD reported the figures for detected fraud within the Department to be £13.2 million in 2012-13 and £4.1 million in 2013-14.In 2011 this Government established the Fraud, Error and Debt Taskforce to develop and coordinate the delivery of initiatives across Government as previously no systematic attempt had been made. It has achieved significant improvements, including the appointment, at Departmental board level, of an accountable individual with responsibility for identifying and reducing fraud and error losses in their Department.

Armed Forces Covenant: Northern Ireland

Dr William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on introducing the Armed Forces Covenant in Northern Ireland.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 15 January 2015



As I made clear in the debate on the Armed Forces Covenant on 22 October 2014 (Official Report, columns 971-1004), the implementation of the Covenant in Northern Ireland is going from strength to strength. The Armed Forces Covenant annual report, laid before the house on 16 December 2014, highlights the good progress that was made during 2014; nearly all of the measures in the Covenant now extend to Northern Ireland or will soon do so.I am planning to visit Northern Ireland in due course to see for myself the results of this good progress and the benefits which this has brought for the Armed Forces Community in the Province.We will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that the needs of the Armed Forces community are met.

USA

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) value and (b) start and finish date is of each contract for foreign military sales procured by UK defence staff based in the US in each year since 2012.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Army: Sexual Harassment

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2014 to Question 217097, when he expects (a) the review of the results of that survey to be completed and (b) the survey to be placed in the Library.

Anna Soubry: As stated in my answer of 17 December 2014 to question 217097, I am expecting advice early this year, following which I will write to the hon. Member.

Armed Forces: Compensation

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's data protection policy is on (a) surveillance footage and (b) monitoring of on-line networking sites of people who have served in the armed forces and are compensation claimants; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: Surveillance in public places only, and/or monitoring of publicly available social on-line networks, is occasionally undertaken to help to establish the true extent of injuries alleged in common law compensation claims in cases where there is a reasonable suspicion about the veracity of a claim or where medical evidence suggests that the claimant's disability is wholly inconsistent with the type of injury. Claims which are found to be grossly exaggerated are either repudiated or settled at a greatly reduced level of damages in line with the true nature of the injury.Surveillance evidence, which is usually in the form of video footage accompanied by a written report, will be disclosed to the claimant's legal representatives, with a copy placed on the case file, where it will remain until the file is destroyed in accordance with normal file destruction policy.

Armed Forces: Compensation

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military compensation claimants have been subject to surveillance in each year since 2008; in what proportion of such compensation claim cases surveillance footage was used; what the cost of undertaking such surveillance was; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The numbers of cases where such claims have been subject to surveillance are as follows:YearMilitary claimants subject to surveillance20081520091620101620111321127201316201414The number of occasions where surveillance was undertaken over the period in question represents 0.6% of the overall number of military compensation claims brought against the Department.The average cost of surveillance, which usually covers a two day period, is £1,800 including VAT.

Military Bases: Children

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many children live on (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy, (c) Marines and (d) Royal Air Force bases (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad.

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many families are resident on (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy, (c) Marines and (d) Royal Air Force bases (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 16 January 2015



The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Iraq

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK armed forces will be employed in training Iraqi and peshmerga brigades to fight against ISIS.

Mr Mark Francois: For several months we have provided training and equipment to Kurdish forces, including infantry, combat first-aid, sharp-shooting and counter-IED training. The National Security Council agreed in December that we should do further work to scope the additional assistance we could offer to the Iraqi military. At this stage no firm decisions have been made.

Combined Cadet Force

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what arrangements are in place to fund the expansion of the Combined Cadet Force; and what the estimated total cost of that expansion is.

Mr Philip Dunne: Expansion of the Combined Cadet Force is under way through the joint Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Department for Education Cadet Expansion Programme which was launched in 2012. The programme is on target to provide 100 new cadet units in state schools in England by September 2015.The programme had an initial budget of £10.85 million to meet start-up costs for the first 100 units. Fixed and running costs of these units are being absorbed through efficiencies found from existing MOD budgets.The expansion programme is also supported by the Cadet Bursary Fund, a charitable fund launched by the Prime Minister in June 2014. This fund, which provides grants to help schools alleviate financial barriers to establishing new units, particularly additional staff costs, was supported with £1 million from LIBOR fines.The total cost of the expansion will depend on the number of cadets in each unit, and the eventual number of new units. It is too early to say how many cadets there will be in the first 100 new units and plans and funding for any expansion beyond September 2015 will be a matter for the Government returned after the election, and for the 2015 Spending Review.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2015 to Question 219724, whether those Reapers have been relocated to the UK for maintenance, strategic or other reasons.

Mr Mark Francois: Reaper relocated to the UK have been placed in storage for routine fleet management purposes.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to offer or provide personnel from Reaper Squadron 39 to the US Air Force as a gift of services in response to current operational requirements.

Mr Mark Francois: The UK Reaper force has no current plans to offer or provide personnel to the US Air Force as a gift of services.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for personal independence payment his Department expects to receive in the present financial year and the next; and what estimate he has made of the number of decisions on claims in that period.

Mr Mark Harper: Holding answer received on 20 November 2014



The Autumn Statement forecast for the number of claimants of personal independence payment is given in Table 1c at the following URL:   https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/389497/Outturn-and-forecast-AS-2014.xlsx

Social Security Benefits: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effects of the benefits cap on reducing employment in Pendle constituency.

Esther McVey: The number of households capped in Pendle Parliamentary Constituency from the introduction of the benefit cap (on 15 April 2013) to August 2014 (the latest available data) was 28. Of the 12 households who were no longer capped as at August 2014, 5 had an open Working Tax Credit claim, indicative of a move into work. The actual number of households who have gone into work may be higher; some individuals may go into work but may not be eligible to claim WTC if their earnings are too high or the hours worked do not meet the claim requirements. Further information can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2014

Social Security Benefits

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what average time is taken to resolve those benefit cases subject to mandatory discrimination which are not resolved in the first 30 days.

Mr Mark Harper: Information on mandatory reconsiderations of benefit decisions was released on 17th December 2014. This was an ad-hoc release of experimental statistics on MR requests made between 28thOctober 2013 and 31st October 2014. The available data can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mandatory-reconsiderations-of-dwp-benefit-decisions-data-to-october-2014

Housing Benefit: Peterborough

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) pensioners, (b) people of working age in work, (c) unemployed people of working age, (d) social housing sector tenants and (e) private sector housing tenants were receiving housing benefit in (i) Peterborough constituency and (ii) Peterborough City Council area in each year since 2005.

Steve Webb: The economic status of all housing benefit (HB) recipients is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The information requested is only available for HB recipients whose claim is not passported: that is, for those who do not receive either income support, Jobseeker’s Allowance (Income-Based), Employment and Support Allowance (Income-Based), or Pension Credit (Guaranteed Credit). Detailed statistics on HB, by age, tenancy type, Parliamentary Constituency since January 2011 and for Local Authority since November 2008 can be found at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm Detailed HB statistics prior to November 2008 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2014

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the research finding reported in the evaluation of the Work Programme published by his Department in December 2014, that differential pricing has had little impact in driving provider behaviour in the way they segmented customers and prioritised support; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The differential pricing model is designed to reflect the different levels of investment required for different types of claimants. Providers are predominantly paid by results, with higher payments for the hardest to help. Provider performance has improved for many groups which receive higher payments under differential pricing. For instance, of those completing a year on the programme, 1 in 10 ESA New Claimants have had at least three months in work since joining the scheme – this compares to 1 in 25 for the earliest cohorts. The Department is committed to learning from the evaluation results and we will consider all aspects of the payment model in the design of any future contracts.

Jobseeker's Allowance Sanctions Independent Review

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff of his Department have been assigned to implementation of the recommendations of the independent review of the operation of jobseekers' allowance sanctions, published in July 2014; what estimate he has made of the number of staff hours that have been spent on that implementation to date; and what funding his Department has allocated to that implementation.

Esther McVey: The information as requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Jobseeker's Allowance Sanctions Independent Review

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to recommendation 11 of the Government's response to the Independent review of the operation of jobseeker's allowance sanctions, published in July 2014, what potential warnings and non-financial sanctions options his Department has considered in response to that recommendation.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the recommendations accepted in the Government's response to the Independent review of the operation of jobseeker's allowance sanctions, published in July 2014, his Department plans to have implemented by May 2015.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on the implementation of the recommendations which the Government (a) accepted, (b) accepted in principle and (c) accepted and were already underway in its response to the publication entitled, Independent review of the operation of jobseeker's allowance sanctions, published in July 2014.

Esther McVey: We have published our response to the Oakley Report and a copy can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/332137/jsa-sanctions-independent-review-government-response.pdf We have accepted all recommendations made by the Oakley Report and we have already implemented a number of improvements. Our response sets out a number of target completion dates for recommendations made by the Oakley Report.

Jobseeker's Allowance Sanctions Independent Review

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Government's response to the Independent review of the operation of jobseeker's allowance sanctions, published in July 2014, when he plans to publish the communications review referred to in that document.

Esther McVey: We have accepted all recommendations made by the Oakley Report and we have already implemented a number of improvements. Our response sets out a number of target completion dates for recommendations made by the Oakley Report. In the Government Response to the Oakley Review we committed to report on the progress of the Communications Review by the end of 2014. The Department published an update on improvements to communications following the review, on 18 December 2014. This can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/387727/jsa-sanctions-independent-review-government-response-update.pdf

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what dates and in what locations the universal credit in work pilots are due to start.

Esther McVey: We will launch the first in-work progression Randomised Controlled Trial in Universal Credit in April 2015, subject to securing the necessary piloting regulations. The trial will initially start in 10 Universal Credit sites and extend to further sites in the North West later in 2015.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost of applying in work conditionality once universal credit has been fully rolled out.

Esther McVey: No estimate of the cost of applying in work conditionality has been made as this will be determined using the findings of the in-work progression trials that are due to begin in April 2015.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to pilot the application of universal credit in work conditionality by staff other than Jobcentre Plus advisers; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The in-work progression trials, due to begin in April 2015, will be delivered by Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his strategy for testing approaches to universal credit in work conditionality includes testing of a requirement to leave one job and start another in order to increase pay; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: Each claimant will discuss their personal circumstances with a Work Coach and requirements will be personalised to take account of a claimant’s individual capability and circumstances. In some circumstances it may be reasonable to expect a claimant to apply for and take up new employment which will enable them to increase their earnings.

Staff

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last five years.

Esther McVey: Information requested is as follows: a) Recruitment agency fees£Spend on recruitment agency fees2009/10457,4982010/113,9442011/1202012/13 ¹394,5112013/14 ¹362,616 ¹ Includes Child Maintenance Group expenditure which joined DWP in August 2012.Data excludes NDPBs b) Outplacement agency fees£Spend on outplacement agency feesOutplacement support provided (heads)2009/10-¹ 2010/11-¹ 2011/1232,10012752012/13 ²16,9508132013/14 ²2,2354397 Outplacement agency fees are for displaced or redundant staff for all grades. This includes:i) outreach services procured directly by the department; andii) outplacement services procured via Civil Service Resourcing’s Outplacement Services Framework contract, which has been in place since January 2014.It does not include Department’s in house outplacement activity or the outplacement services delivered by Civil Service Resourcing’s Career Transition Service (CTS). ¹ The spend on outplacement agency fees is not available for 2009/10 and 2010/11.² Includes Child Maintenance Group expenditure which joined DWP in August 2012. Data excludes NDPBs c) Staff training costs£Spend on staff training costsAverage headcount£ per head2009/1019,920,326117,425169.642010/1110,219,848114,44989.302011/126,599,138103,09464.012012/13 ¹8,613,54398,29587.632013/14 ¹9,421,75695,28798.88 ¹ Includes Child Maintenance Group expenditure which joined DWP in August 2012. Data excludes NDPBs

Disability Living Allowance

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what circumstances disability living allowance is payable for a child who has dyslexia.

Mr Mark Harper: Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance is not linked to particular conditions such as dyslexia but is assessed on the extent to which an individual person has personal care needs and/or mobility difficulties as a result of their disability.

Work Programme

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of disabled people referred to the Work Programme moved into employment between January and December 2014.

Esther McVey: The information requested to September 2014 is published and available at: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/WorkProg/tabtool.html Proportions can be calculated using the published figures. Guidance for users is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Waste Disposal

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage the use of green waste as compost.

Dan Rogerson: The Government supports recycling of green waste, including work to develop markets for quality compost. For example, the Government has supported the Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP) to facilitate the development of the British Standard Institution’s Publicly Available Standard 100 (BSI PAS 100), working with industry to deliver a robust specification which provides national standards for quality of compost. In addition, the Environment Agency has revised its Quality Protocol for compost, which sets out when compost is no longer treated as “waste”. These standards provide confidence in composted materials for end users and help producers ensure their products are safe, reliable and perform well.The Government is also helping fund a four year research project undertaking large scale field trials and demonstration projects into the use of quality anaerobic digestate (biofertiliser) and compost in agriculture. This includes an extensive knowledge exchange programme to support the use of green waste as compost.

Bees

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of efforts to reintroduce the short-haired bumblebee Bombus subterraneus to the UK.

Dan Rogerson: The reintroduction of Bombus subterraneus (the short-haired bumblebee) to the UK has been underway since 2012 through a partnership between Natural England, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the RSPB and Hymettus. There have been annual releases of queen bees from Sweden in the Dungeness and Romney Marsh area of Kent. A number of landowners in the area are supporting the reintroduction by restoring the habitat that the species depends on using agri-environment schemes. The partnership project officer and a team of volunteers have been monitoring this habitat every summer and in 2013 and 2014 worker short-haired bumblebees were seen in the area. This provides direct evidence that at least some of the released queens have successfully formed colonies. Queen releases and monitoring of habitat will continue through to 2016 at which point it is hoped that there will be evidence that a self-sustaining population is becoming established.

Waste Disposal

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on the Waste to Bioeconomy roadmap; and whether her Department plans to provide any assistance to local authorities in relation to anaerobic digestion.

Dan Rogerson: Defra has a joint Government championship role with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in developing a Bioeconomy Roadmap, considering the opportunities of growing the bio economy sector with an initial focus on waste as a feedstock. Good progress is being made. Both Departments continue to work closely together, coordinating development of this agenda across Whitehall, industry and stakeholders. We aim to publish the roadmap in March this year.The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), with funding from Defra, has supported local authority trials of separate weekly food waste collection for either in-vessel composting or anaerobic digestion and is updating its guidance on collecting food waste to be published in late spring this year. WRAP also provides advice and support more widely to small businesses and operators interested in using anaerobic digestion to process biowaste.

Rivers: Repairs and Maintenance

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress has been made in deregulating the consent process for river maintenance pilots; and what plans she has to start new pilot schemes (a) along the Thames in Berkshire and (b) elsewhere.

Dan Rogerson: On 10 December 2014, Defra launched a consultation on proposals to integrate flood defence consents into the Environmental Permitting framework. The new scheme will simplify the application process while removing unnecessary costs and burdens for those who wish to carry out construction works or other activities in, or near, main rivers.The River Maintenance Pilots (which explore how red tape could be reduced for landowners who wish to undertake maintenance in man-made ditches, land drains or previously straightened watercourses that had been dredged in the last ten years) were launched by the Environment Agency in October 2013 and were scheduled to last for one year. In response to interest shown by local farmers, the pilots were expanded in May 2014 to include two new pilot areas, and expand an existing area. To allow those affected by the 2013/14 floods extra time to carry out their work, the pilots were also extended until mid-March 2015. We will consider the evidence from the pilots when they are complete.In addition, the Environment Agency and National Farmers Union are launching a new local initiative across rural Oxfordshire to help landowners along tributaries of the River Thames with the consenting process. This initiative will start in 2015/16 and it is likely to expand into Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the 50 largest landowners in the UK received from the Single Farm Payment scheme in the last year for which data is available.

George Eustice: The UK’s 50 largest value claims under the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) totalled £44,424,980 for the EU Financial Year 2013. Information is not available on whether they are landowners or tenants.Details of payments made in EU Financial Year 2014 will be published on the UK’s CAP beneficiary website on 31 May 2015.

Floods: Lancaster

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what responsibilities and obligations were inherited by the Environment Agency from predecessor bodies for the maintenance of particular flood defences in Lancaster and Fleetwood; and whether those responsibilities and obligations remain in place.

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency inherited jurisdiction over flood defences within the Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency that were previously maintained by the National Rivers Authority, and prior to that North West Water. Several Acts of Parliament have accompanied these changes.The Environment Agency understands that responsibilities and obligations from predecessor bodies have been consolidated and remain in place.Coastal jurisdiction is split between local authorities for coast protection and the Environment Agency and its predecessors for sea defences. This position was clarified by the Shoreline Management Plan 2010.Inland, the Environment Agency has a role in managing flood risk from “main rivers” (as defined by Defra). This can include maintenance of flood risk management assets on a permissive and affordable basis and in line with Treasury Rules and Defra Guidance. Maintenance work is undertaken as identified by the Catchment Flood Management Plans that guide the level of work needed at a particular location.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will extend the ban on the use of unenriched battery cages for laying hens, as set out in Schedule 3 to the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 (S.I., 2007, No. 2078), to quail egg production.

George Eustice: UK legislation prohibiting unenriched cages for laying hens implements EU Directive 99/74/EC which specifically protects birds of the species Gallus Gallus. There are no such requirements for quail set in EU law and we have no plans to introduce a similar measure for this or other species of egg-laying birds. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 it is an offence to fail to provide for the welfare needs of animals, including quail raised for egg production.

White Fish: Conservation

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the process and timetable is for implementation of emergency EU measures to manage sea bass stocks.

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on the implementation of emergency EU measures to manage sea bass stocks.

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contribution the UK made to the design and scope of emergency EU measures to manage sea bass stocks.

George Eustice: At the December Council we secured a statement that underlined the commitment of the European Commission and Member States involved in the bass fishery to take urgent action to reduce fishing pressure, protect spawning aggregations and so prevent a collapse of the stock. The Government followed up this commitment by formally requesting emergency measures to protect bass during the spawning season (January to April). The Commission has responded positively and has now tabled such a measure based on the UK request for consideration by the fisheries management committee. If adopted, the Commission regulation will come into effect on the day after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Fracking

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effects of fracking on rural communities; and if she will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: Shale gas exploitation has the potential to benefit rural communities. It will create jobs in the industry and supply chain. Communities will also benefit locally from a share of the revenues and from additional business rates. The Department of Energy and Climate Change lead on the economic benefits of shale gas. Any potential impacts, including those on the local environment, are fully considered through the rigorous permitting and planning processes.

Department for Communities and Local Government

High Rise Flats

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support is available to councils and housing associations to (a) modernise and (b) demolish tower blocks; and what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on tower blocks.

Brandon Lewis: We have invested more than £2 billion to enable council and housing association homes to be brought up to the Decent Homes standard, and have announced a £150 million funding pot to enable the regeneration of some of our most run-down estates. Reforms we have introduced have given councils greater freedoms, including the retention of their full rental income. All 167 council landlords in England now have a long-term, stable source of funding, which they can use to better meet the needs of their tenants and local area, and have, on average, 15% more to spend on managing and maintaining their homes than under the previous system. While we recognise that transformational estate regeneration may require some demolition of existing homes, this will need to be clearly justified. We would expect landlords to first consider options to upgrade and refurbish existing homes, in consultation with residents, in line with George Clarke’s 12 point plan (http://georgeclarke.com/2012/11/george-clarkes-empty-homes-manifesto-delivered-to-government-today/). It is of course important that any modernisation, regeneration or demolition takes place only once the views of the local community have been taken into account. I also refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement of 16 January 2015, Official Report, Column 35-37WS, which outlines what this Government has done to promote refurbishment and getting empty building back into use.http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm150116/wmstext/150116m0001.htm#15011650000003

Travel

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what amount his Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) the Government Car and Despatch Agency and (b) other car hire in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: Holding answer received on 27 November 2014



Under this Government, the DCLG Group is making a 41 per cent real terms saving against its running costs by 2014-15. This equates at least £532 million of taxpayers’ money in administrative savings. As part of these savings, my Department has made substantial reductions to the cost of Ministerial cars. Instead of the six cars previously used, the Department now maintains only two cars between six Ministers. There is a business case for some provision. The Government Car Service provides secure transport for Ministers carrying sensitive and confidential government documents. All travel arrangements are carried out in accordance with the Ministerial Code. Notwithstanding, our reforms have cut the cost by two-thirds, as shown in the table below. Financial YearGovernment Car Service2007-08£401,6002008-09£418,3002009-10£488,2762010-11£321,592  2011-12£202,8192012-13£199,1912013-14£191,813 Note: Based on DfT methodology for Government Car Service spending, as published and presented to Parliament. Figures exclude VAT which is recoverable. Additional spending on other hired car services in 2009-10 totalled £28,266, including chauffeurs and limousines (comprehensive figures are not held prior to this). By contrast, spending by 2013-14 has been just cut to just £124. To provide some comparative figures, the table below, illustrates the spending on Ministerial cars over the last three years of the Labour Government, by Department (excluding other hired car services): Government Car & Despatch Agency spendingTotal (2007-10)Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (and DBERR & DIUS)£1,863,036Home Office£1,474,894Department for Work and Pensions£1,351,426Department for Communities and Local Government£1,308,176Department of Health£1,278,190Cabinet Office£1,262,490Department for Children, Schools and Families£1,196,893HM Treasury£1,155,789Foreign & Commonwealth Office£1,091,934Ministry of Justice£938,930Department for Transport£845,479Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs£806,189Department for Culture, Media and Sport£790,297Department for International Development£755,556Northern Ireland Office£655,551Other (e.g. Whips / Leaders’ Offices where itemised)£544,900Law Officers’ Department£474,731Department for Energy and Climate Change (two years)£402,130Wales Office£372,904Scotland Office£277,913Ministry of Defence (two years)£191,443 Data sources: 22 July 2008, Official Report, Column 117WS; 16 July 2009, Official Report, Column 80WS; 28 October 2010, Official Report, Column 23WS. My Department’s tangible savings are in stark contrast to the Leader of the Opposition’s taxpayer-funded Short Money travel allowance, which has risen year on year since May 2010 – a fact which betrays a disregard for the need for all parts of the public sector to their bit to help pay off Labour’s deficit.

Homelessness

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) actual and (b) percentage change in the number of homelessness applications was in each English local authority between April 2010 and the latest date for which figures are available.

Kris Hopkins: Current and historic financial year statistics for decisions taken on homelessness applications and acceptances, by local authority area, are published in Live Table 784, and are readily accessible for further scrutiny and analysis. A direct comparison cannot be made between different quarters due to seasonal fluctuations. The data is available online at:www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessnessThis Government have invested over £500 million to prevent and tackle all forms of homelessness and rough sleeping since 2010. The homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own.Homelessness acceptances remain lower than in 27 of the last 30 years, and homelessness is around half the average level it was under the previous Administration. Households now spend on average seven months less in temporary accommodation than at the start of 2010.

Quarrying: Redbridge

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with the London Borough of Redbridge on gravel extraction in Aldborough Hatch.

Brandon Lewis: Officials have had one recent conversation with the London Borough of Redbridge to obtain information for a correspondence reply to an hon. Member, on gravel extraction in the area.At that point in time, there was no planning application for gravel extraction under consideration by the Council.

Private Rented Housing

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much of the funding allocated to tackle beds in sheds has been (a) allocated and (b) spent to date.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Private Rented Housing

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many times the beds in sheds taskforce has met since its inception; and on what dates.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing: Construction

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average (a) output in number of units per annum and (b) annual turnover is of the firms that have been allocated funds through the Builders Finance Fund.

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much of the funds for the Builders Finance Fund has been (a) allocated and (b) spent.

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homes he expects to be built through funding from the Builders Finance Fund; and how many such homes have been started.

Brandon Lewis: The fund will make investments over two years from 2015/16 to 2016/17. The funds must be drawn down by 31 March 2017.The shortlisted bids to the Builders Finance Fund are currently undergoing due diligence and have the ability to deliver over 10,000 new homes. We have recently expanded the scope of the fund to enable smaller builders with schemes between 5 and 15 units to access this funding and the Homes and Communities Agency are currently engaging with the market to seek further bids for such schemes. The first contracts are due to be completed in the Spring with the first homes expected to be started in the first half of 2015.

Refuges

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding his Department has provided for refuges for women fleeing domestic violence in each year since 2010.

Kris Hopkins: Decisions on the provision of accommodation for victims of domestic abuse are for local authorities. We expect local authorities to commission services based on the needs of their communities, taking account of locally available data sources. Government does not directly fund domestic abuse refuges, however, this Government has invested £6.5 billion to help vulnerable people through housing related support. A proportion of this money will be used by local authorities to commission refuge services. In addition we have made over £500 million available since 2010 to local authorities and the voluntary sector to prevent and tackle homelessness and rough sleeping including support for victims of domestic abuse. In November 2014 we made available £10 million (2014-16) for local authorities, working with specialist domestic abuse service providers, to stop the closure of refuges and improve and grow existing provision. We also issued new statutory guidance that makes clear the practice of providing refuge to support only to local victims is unacceptable and it also set out clear standards that refuge services should meet. The dynamics of domestic abuse mean that accommodation can play an important role in the resolution of interpersonal abuse and conflict. This is why the homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and for vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own. We also fund UKRefugesOnline a UK wide database of domestic violence services which supports the national 24 hour free phone domestic violence helpline. This service enables those working with victims of domestic violence to identify appropriate services and potential refuge vacancies around the country so that victims can get the help they need as quickly as possible. In addition, this Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million of funding for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services until 2015. This funding is used to part-fund 54 multi-agency risk assessment conference co-ordinators and 144 independent domestic violence advisers. We have piloted and rolled out Clare's Law and domestic violence protection orders; extended the definition of domestic abuse to cover controlling behaviour and teenage relationships; run two successful campaigns to challenge perceptions of abuse; and placed Domestic Homicide Reviews on a statutory footing to make sure lessons are learned from individual tragedies. More recently the Home Secretary announced our intention to table an amendment to the Serious Crime Bill at Commons Committee stage to create a new offence of domestic abuse. The amendment was tabled on 8 January and closes the gap in the current legal framework to capture repeated or continuous coercive and controlling behaviour, specifically where that behaviour takes place in an ongoing intimate partner or inter-familial relationship.

Radicalism

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 4.2 of the report of the Prime Minister's Task Force on Tackling Radicalisation and Extremism, published in December 2013, in which local authorities the Government has intervened because they are deemed not to be taking the problem of radicalisation seriously.

Stephen Williams: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

HM Treasury

Travel

Lucy Powell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department has spent on (a) taxis, (b) first class train tickets and (c) business class air travel in each of the last five years.

Andrea Leadsom: There are two publications which are published as part of the Government’s commitment to Transparency which contain information on travel and subsistence for Senior Officials and Ministers.   These can be found on the Gov.uk website following the links below:   https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/senior-officials-expenses   https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Financial Conduct Authority

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will introduce an appeals process against Financial Conduct Authority decisions.

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the Financial Conduct Authority does not include professional fees when assessing the amount of compensation which should be paid to people who have been mis-sold policies.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government has been very clear that the mis-selling of financial products is wrong and it is important that those businesses that have been affected are appropriately compensated.   The Financial Conduct Authority is an independent regulator and the Government does not have any involvement in how the FCA decides to conduct its investigations.   In the case of the FCA review into the mis-selling of interest rate hedging products, the decision on whether there should be a separate appeals process was one for the FCA to take.   It is important to note, however, that the role of the independent reviewer who oversees the review of each case is to ensure that the process is fair and businesses have adequate opportunity to put forward their case.   Furthermore, eligible businesses with a turnover of less than €2 million and fewer than 10 employees also have recourse to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) if they are not happy with the outcome of their review.  Regarding the inclusion of professional fees in compensation packages, the FCA’s view is that redress should be fair and reasonable in the circumstances. This is consistent with the way the FOS awards compensation. As such, it may be appropriate for compensation to include professional fees in some situations

Monetary Policy

Grahame M. Morris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Bank of England on the continuation of quantitative easing.

Andrea Leadsom: The UK’s monetary policy framework, set out in the Bank of England Act 1998, gives operational responsibility for monetary policy to the independent Monetary Policy Committee. HM Treasury and the Bank of England have frequent discussions on a wide range of issues on the UK economy.

World Economic Forum

Norman Baker: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to provide (a) funding and (b) other support for a reception hosted by HRH The Duke of York at the World Economic Forum to be held in Davos from 21 to 24 January 2015.

Andrea Leadsom: There has never been a cost to HM Government for the reception hosted by HRH The Duke of York at Davos.

Non-domestic Rates: Beckenham

Bob Stewart: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward proposals to reduce the level of business rates on small shopkeepers of Beckenham constituency.

Mr David Gauke: The government has taken significant action to reduce the burden of business rates on small shopkeepers across all areas in England. For 2015-16, the Small Business Rate Relief will be doubled supporting 575,000 businesses and the retail discount will increase from £1,000 to £1,500 for 300,000 shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes with a rateable value of £50,000 or below. Further, the 2% business rates multiplier cap will continue in 2015-16 for all ratepayers.

Home Care Services: Pay

Alex Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints were received by HM Revenue and Customs regarding non-payment of the national minimum wage by domiciliary care providers in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014.

Alex Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints received by HM Revenue and Customs regarding non-payment of the national minimum wage by domiciliary care providers in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 led to formal investigations being carried out.

Mr David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of National Minimum Wage very seriously. Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should make a complaint to the Pay & Work Rights Helpline (PWRH) on 0800 917 2368.   HMRC review every complaint referred to them by the PWRH and, in addition, collate and analyse data from various sources to identify employers more likely not to be paying National Minimum Wage and undertake targeted enforcement against those employers.   However, some complaints may not lead to the commencement of an investigation. This might be due to incomplete information being provided, or the worker subsequently wishing to withdraw their complaint. Similarly, multiple complaints about the same employer would only be recorded under one investigation. Therefore HMRC do not record statistics by complaints received, but by investigations completed.   I therefore refer my honourable friend to the answer provided to him on 17 October 2014; UIN 209191.

Mortgages

Jonathan Edwards: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has made to the Financial Policy Committee of the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority on problems faced by mortgage holders wishing to port their mortgage.

Andrea Leadsom: The new mortgage regulations are the responsibility of the independent Financial Conduct Authority, who are engaging with industry to ensure a common sense approach to their new rules. Treasury officials are in regular contact with counterparts at the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority on a wide range of mortgage issues.

Social Security Benefits: Immigrants

Dr William McCrea: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward proposals to prevent immigrants from claiming benefit for children living abroad.

Priti Patel: Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit are "family benefits" under EU law. As such EEA nationals working in the UK are entitled to claim in respect of children living in other Member States.   The Prime Minister has made clear that we need to change the rules around paying Child Benefit in respect of children who live in other European countries. This requires a change of EU law, so Ministers are pursuing renegotiation of the relevant EU rules with their counterparts in Europe

Bitcoin: VAT

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his Department's policy to seek to recover VAT on bitcoin transactions.

Mr David Gauke: I refer the Rt. hon gentleman to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) brief on this topic.

Business: Government Assistance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the total funds provided by Government for (a) corporate welfare grants and support schemes and (b) tax forgone.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of government financial support to business through grants and tax forgone.

Mr David Gauke: The Government offers a wide range of financial support to business through different grants and tax reliefs. For example the Regional Growth Fund has so far committed £2.6 billion of support to over 400 awards which are expected to deliver £16 billion of private sector investment and 573,000 jobs.   Overall Government grants and reliefs serve to support UK businesses to invest and grow, generating jobs and economic growth. Business investment has grown 26% since early 2010, there are more people in work now than ever before, and the IMF have forecast the UK as having the fastest growing economy in the G7 in 2014.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Solar Power

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of people employed in the UK solar photovoltaic industry.

Amber Rudd: The Government is currently undertaking analysis to assess the size and performance of sectors within the low carbon economy, including in the solar PV industry.

Solar Power

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many solar CfD bids were received during the first auction; and what total NWp is represented by all bids.

Matthew Hancock: This information is not held by the Department. National Grid is the Delivery Body for the allocation of Contracts for Difference. Regulations limit the information released to the Department during and after the allocation process, for example because it is commercially confidential or where its release could undermine the efficiency of the auction process.We intend to provide information on those applicants who are successful and sign contracts when the allocation process concludes next year. Information which will be made available includes the technology type, capacity, delivery year and strike price of successful projects.

Sellafield

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Written Statement HCWS183 of 13 January 2015, on Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, if he will appoint representatives of non-governmental organisations to the board of the Site Licence Company for Sellafield.

Matthew Hancock: Future appointments to the Sellafield Limited Board will be made by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority based upon a thorough review of potential candidates available at the time.

Solar Power

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans he has to update the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan projection of 2.4-4GWp of large-scale solar photovoltaic capacity by 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Amber Rudd: Since the publication of the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan in December 2013 we have published updated projections of large-scale solar photovoltaic capacity.The impact assessment which accompanied Part A of the Government response on financial support to solar PV stated that we now expect to see 3.8 – 6.5GW of large-scale solar by the end of 2016/17, when the Renewables Obligation is closed.

Sellafield

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to his written statement HCWS183 of 13 January 2015, on Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, what plans he has to involve the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's national stakeholder forum and the Sellafield site stakeholder committee in the transition to the new management arrangements for Sellafield.

Matthew Hancock: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority intends to engage with a number of stakeholders, including through its national forum and the West Cumbria Site Stakeholder Group, as it transitions towards the new arrangements.

Staff

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last five years.

Amber Rudd: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Northern Ireland Office

Parades: Belfast

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress she has made on establishing a separate mediation intervention group in relation to the Ardoyne parades issue.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: On 7 October 2014, I announced proposals and published Terms of Reference for a panel on Parading to examine the parading impasse at Twaddell/Ardoyne.My proposals were clear that mediation should be an essential ingredient of the process. In addition, one of the key principles which underpinned the Terms of Reference was that in order for it to be successful, the process needed to be able to engage effectively across the community.It became apparent that there was insufficient support for the panel, including from amongst some of those most directly involved in the dispute. I therefore decided, on balance, that it would not be right to go ahead with establishing the panel.I remain committed to finding a way forward that can help resolve the impasse and encourage others to do the same.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Direct Selling

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps the Government has taken to tackle nuisance calls; and if he will make statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government takes the issue of nuisance calls very seriously. It is a priority issue for us. Steps have been taken to tackle the problem through publication of the first ever Nuisance Calls Action Plan on 30 March 2014: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nuisance-calls-action-plan-unveiled. This set out in detail our achievements to date, work underway and proposed actions for the future, which included both legislative and non-legislative measures. This includes having consulted between 25 October and 6 December 2014 on our proposal to lower or remove the legal threshold to improve the ability of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to issue monetary penalties. The Government’s Response to this consultation will be published shortly.

Direct Selling: Fraud

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to identify and prosecute cold callers claiming to represent a Government debt service.

Mr Edward Vaizey: In situations where callers may claim to represent a particular organisation the ICO can take steps to try and identify the caller, so that enforcement action can be taken against them. Complaints can be registered online with the ICO at: https://ico.org.uk/concerns/marketing/20. Where cold calls are scams involving criminal matters, these are dealt with by the Police or Action Fraud: http://www.actionfraud.police.uk.

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2015 to Question 219653, what the budget is for the advertising campaign to promote a greater take-up of superfast broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey: For the areas to be covered by the Government's phase 1 Superfast Broadband Programme, we estimate that up to a further £120m will be generated for investment in further coverage for every 10 percentage point increase on the programme's 20% take-up baseline. The quicker people take up services in the areas delivered with public funding, the quicker funding is returned for reinvestment by the supplier; we therefore launched an £8 million national marketing campaign to raise awareness. The budget for the campaign was based on evidence of previous government campaigns to reach the optimum amount of our target audience.

Direct Selling

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made by the taskforce reporting to his Department on tackling nuisance telephone calls.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The taskforce published its report on consent and lead generation issues within the marketing industry on 8 December 2014, making fifteen recommendations for business, industry, regulators and Government. We are carefully considering its six recommendations for Government and will respond to these shortly.

Department of Health

Patients: Transport

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost of the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme has been in each of the last five years.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have used the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme in each of the last five years; and how many such claimants claimed on behalf of a child under the age of 16.

Jane Ellison: The Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme is administered locally by the National Health Service. The Department does not hold information on the cost of the Scheme or numbers of patients accessing it.

Patients: Transport

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on expanding the scope of the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme to include (a) primary care services and (b) visits of close relatives.

Jane Ellison: The Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme is part of the NHS Low Income Scheme, and was set up to provide financial assistance to those patients and in certain circumstances their carers, who do not have a medical need for ambulance transport, but who require assistance with their travel costs in attending National Health Service secondary care appointments.   There are currently no plans to expand the scope of the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme to cover primary care services and visits of close relatives.

Clinical Commissioning Groups: Bedfordshire

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether any member of the governing body of the Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group has a financial interest in a private health provider.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether any member of the governing body of the Rushcliffe Clinical Commissioning Group has a financial interest in a private health provider.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 sets out clear requirements of clinical commissioning groups to make arrangements in their constitutions for managing conflicts of interest, to ensure the transparency and integrity of their decision-making processes.

Electronic Cigarettes: Injuries

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospital admissions have occurred as a result of injuries caused by e-cigarettes in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not hold this information.   The revised Tobacco Products Directive (Directive 2014/40/EU) will, from May 2016, establish new rules for the safety, quality, ingredients and presentation of consumer electronic cigarettes, as well as refill mechanisms. This will include a requirement for manufacturers to report any adverse incidents and, as necessary, to withdraw/recall any product.   In the meantime, e-cigarettes are subject to general product safety regulatory requirements, which include powers for local trading standard officers to withdraw unsafe products from the market.

Sciatica

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many diagnoses of sciatica were made in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: This information is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2009 guideline ‘Low back pain: Early management of persistent non-specific low back pain’ is currently being updated to include sciatica. NICE estimates that the lifetime incidence range of sciatica is 13 to 40% and annual incidence of an episode of sciatica ranges from 1 to 5%. The updated guidance is expected for publication in 2016.

Cholesterol

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolaemia in (a) England and (b) each local commissioning organisation in the last year.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally

Accident and Emergency Departments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients with long-term medical conditions in (a) England, (b) Greater Manchester, (c) Tameside and Glossop and (d) Stockport visited A&E before they were able to visit a GP or walk-in centre in the last three months.

Norman Lamb: This information is not collected centrally.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the number of patients admitting themselves to A&E for a pre-existing medical condition before they reach the top of a waiting list for the same issue, in (a) England, (b) Greater Manchester, (c) Tameside and Glossop and (d) Stockport in the last three months.

Jane Ellison: This information is not available centrally.

Testicular Cancer

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's policy is on screening for testicular cancer.

Jane Ellison: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) last reviewed the policy on testicular cancer in 2006 and recommended against a screening programme as this condition was more commonly detected through self-examination and that a systematic population screening programme would not be beneficial. The UK NSC advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.

NHS: Staff

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) professionally-qualified clinical staff other than locum doctors, (b) doctors other than locum doctors and qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff, (c) HCHS doctors other than locum doctors and (d) qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff were employed in each NHS trust in May (i) 2010 and (ii) 2014.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre publish monthly National Health Service workforce statistics. The information requested is set out in the attached table for the periods May 2010, May 2014 and September 2014, the latest month for which data is available. 



HCHS workforce statistics- May 2010, 14 & Sep 14
(Excel SpreadSheet, 101.21 KB)

King's College Hospital

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will allocate additional funding to assist towards delivering the new cystic fibrosis ward at King's College Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: This is a matter for King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and local NHS commissioners. The Trust is free to apply to the Department for loan funding for the development of a new cystic fibrosis ward. However, we are advised that the Department has not to date received any such application from the Trust.   We are advised by the Trust that it remains committed to developing an expanded and refurbished ward for cystic fibrosis patients at King’s College Hospital and that it is looking to secure a long term solution which is in the best interests of patients. Cystic fibrosis patients at King’s were recently moved to a new interim facility, which provides a better environment for both patients and staff.

Health Services: British Nationals Abroad

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the health entitlements within the NHS are of British national missionaries and aid workers who are not ordinarily resident in, but retain housing and other links to, the UK.

Jane Ellison: Missionaries and aid workers temporarily based outside the United Kingdom, who retain housing and other links to the UK may, depending on all their circumstances, still be considered ordinarily resident in the UK. They would therefore retain full entitlement to free National Health Service hospital treatment.  For those who are not ordinarily resident in the UK at the time NHS hospital treatment is provided to them, they will be charged for that treatment under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2011, as amended, unless an exemption from charge category applies. There are currently exemptions for people acting as missionaries overseas for an organisation principally based in the UK; those working in posts overseas that are funded in part by the UK Government in accordance with arrangements with the Government of some other country and former UK residents of 10 years or more who are now employed overseas provided the period of employment has lasted no more than five years.

Medical Records: Databases

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 2 January 2015 to Question 219648, who the members of the care.data Programme Board are; and (a) by whom and (b) by what process those board members were appointed.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Programme Board was reconstituted in June 2014 following a Project Validation Review carried out by the Major Project Authority. Programme Board members were formally invited to join by the Senior Responsible Owner, Tim Kelsey, based upon the requirement for a balance of representation from the Department of Health, those arm’s length bodies with involvement in the programme and representation from those involved in the delivery of the programme at a local level.   care.data Programme Board memberOrganisationEve RoodhouseHealth and Social Care Information CentreAndy WilliamsHealth and Social Care Information CentreTim KelseyNHS EnglandDr Geraint LewisNHS England, Patients and InformationProf John NewtonPublic Health EnglandSimon DenegriNational Institute for Health ResearchPeter KnightDepartment of HealthMark DaviesDepartment of HealthDavid KnightDepartment of HealthTom WardCare Quality CommissionDr Ian HudsonMedicines and Healthcare products Regulatory AgencyNeil StutchburyMonitorSir Bruce KeoghNHS EnglandDr Sarah SchofieldWest Hampshire clinical commissioning groupsDonna Braisby (Secretariat)Health and Social Care Information Centre

Medical Records: Databases

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 2 January 2015 to Question 219648, what criteria will be used by the National Data Guardian to evaluate whether it is right and safe to collect care.data information from GP practices.

Dr Daniel Poulter: In November 2014, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the establishment of a new National Data Guardian to be the patient’s champion when it comes to the security of personal medical information. Dame Fiona Caldicott will be the first National Guardian and she has agreed that it will be her responsibility to raise concerns publicly about improper data use.   Dame Fiona Caldicott’s Independent Information Governance Oversight Panel’s report to the care.data Programme was published on 18 December 2014 and is available at:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/iigop-report-on-caredata   The report outlined the evidence of readiness of the Pathfinder stage Dame Fiona would want to see before she would advise on the next stage of Pathfinder stage of the care.data programme.

Members: Correspondence

Mr Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will request that Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England, reply to the letter of 21 November 2014 from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill, on A&E services at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham.

Jane Ellison: The Department understands that NHS England will be replying to the hon. Member’s letter of 21 November 2014.

Health Services: British Nationals Abroad

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes to residency requirements for free access to the NHS on UK citizens working as missionaries overseas.

Jane Ellison: Entitlement to free National Health Service hospital treatment is based on ‘ordinary residence’ in the United Kingdom, which means, broadly, living here on a lawful and properly settled basis for the time being, whether of long or short duration. The Immigration Act 2014, Section 39, revises the ordinary residence test so that non-European Economic Area (EEA) migrants subject to immigration control cannot be considered ordinarily resident in the UK unless they also have the immigration status of indefinite leave to remain. It is expected that Section 39 will be commenced this spring. UK and EEA nationals, including those working as missionaries overseas, will not be affected by this revision.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were admitted to hospital for (a) alcohol-specific and (b) alcohol-related reasons in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison: The following table contains the sum of the estimated alcohol attributable fractions for patients admitted to hospital for alcohol-specific and alcohol-related admissions for years 2008-09 to 2012-13.   The number of alcohol-related admissions is based on the methodology developed by the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO), which uses 48 indicators for alcohol-related illnesses, determining the proportion of a wide range of diseases and injuries that can be partly attributed to alcohol as well as those that are, by definition, wholly attributable to alcohol. Further information on these proportions can be found at:   http://www.nwph.net/nwpho/publications/AlcoholAttributableFractions.pdf   Alcohol attributable fractions do not provide a count of episodes with an alcohol related diagnosis or cause code but rather an estimate of the numbers. In addition, partial alcohol attributable fractions are not applicable to children aged under 16 years therefore figures for this age group relate only to wholly-attributable admissions.   Sum of alcohol attributable fractions1 of finished admission episodes2 (FAEs) for (a) alcohol specific and (b) alcohol related admissions for years 2008-09 to 2012-133 YearAlcohol specific admissionsAlcohol related admissions2008 - 09237,820707,6502009 -10265,246791,7162010 - 11287,198881,0682011 -12304,206916,0872012 -13294,786937,678 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre   Notes:  1. Alcohol–related admissions The alcohol attributable fraction is set to 1 (100%) where the admission is considered to be entirely due to alcohol, e.g. in the case of alcoholic liver disease - these records are described as wholly alcohol attributable.   The alcohol attributable fraction is set to a value greater than 0 but less than 1 according to the NWPHO definition, e.g. the alcohol fraction of an admission with a primary diagnosis of C00 - malignant neoplasm of lip, where the patient is male and between 65 and 74 is 0.44 - these records are described as partly alcohol attributable.   These wholly and partly attributable fractions can be aggregated to supply an estimate of activity which can be considered wholly or partly attributable to alcohol.   2. Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.   3. Assessing growth through time (admitted patient care) HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information.   Note that HES include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2012-13 includes activity ending between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were admitted to A&E departments for (a) alcohol-specific and (b) alcohol-related reasons in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 January 2015, Question number 220836.